ROS: Institutionalisation

• What is the focus of research on maternal deprivation in the context of orphan studies?

  To study the effects of deprivation on emotional and intellectual development
• What tragic opportunity arose in Romania in the 1990s for studying institutional care?

  The requirement for Romanian women to have five children led to many children being placed in orphanages
• Who was the former President of Romania that influenced the orphan situation in the 1990s?

  Nicolai Ceaușescu
• What happened to many Romanian children after the 1989 Romanian revolution?

  Many of the children were adopted, some by British parents
• What was the aim of the English and Romanian adoptee (ERA) study conducted by Rutter et al.?

  To investigate the extent to which good care could make up for poor early experiences in institutions
• How many Romanian orphans were followed in Rutter et al.'s research?

  165 Romanian orphans
• At what ages was the physical, cognitive, and emotional development of the orphans assessed in the ERA study?

  At ages 4, 6, 11, 15, and 22-25 years
• What was the mean IQ of children adopted before the age of six months according to Rutter et al.'s findings?

  The mean IQ was 102
• How did the mean IQ of children adopted between six months and two years compare to those adopted after two years?


  Children adopted between six months and two years had a mean IQ of 86, while those adopted after two years had a mean IQ of 77
• What was more common in the 15- and 22-25-year-old samples of Romanian adoptees?

  ADHD was more common
• What attachment style was observed in children adopted after six months?

  Disinhibited attachment
• What are some symptoms of disinhibited attachment?

  Attention-seeking, clinginess, and social behavior directed indiscriminately towards all adults
• How did the attachment styles differ between children adopted before and after six months?

  Children adopted after six months showed disinhibited attachment, while those adopted before rarely displayed it
• What was the sample size of the Bucharest early intervention (BEI) project conducted by Zeanah et al.?

  95 Romanian children
• What was the average time spent in institutional care by the children in the BEI project?

  90% of their lives
• How was attachment type measured in the BEI project?

  Using the Strange Situation
• What percentage of the control group was classed as securely attached in the Strange Situation?

  74%
• What percentage of the institutional group was securely attached?

  Only 19%
• What percentage of institutionalized children displayed disinhibited attachment?

  44%
• What is disinhibited attachment characterized by?

  Being equally friendly and affectionate towards familiar people and strangers
• How does Rutter explain disinhibited attachment?

  As an adaptation to living with multiple caregivers during the sensitive period for attachment formation
• What did Rutter find regarding intellectual disability in children upon their arrival in Britain?

  Most children showed signs of intellectual disability
• What was the outcome for most children adopted before six months in terms of intellectual development?

  They caught up with the control group by age four
• What does the research suggest about the timing of adoption and recovery from institutionalization?

  Damage to intellectual development can be recovered if adoption takes place before the age of six months
• What are the effects of institutionalization on children?

  • Disinhibited attachment: friendly towards familiar and unfamiliar people
  • Intellectual disability: signs of retardation upon arrival, but recovery possible if adopted before six months
  • Good parenting can mitigate initial physical and intellectual problems
• What are the key findings from Rutter et al.'s and Zeanah et al.'s research on Romanian orphans?

  Rutter et al.:

  • Adoption before six months leads to better outcomes
  • Mean IQ varies with age of adoption
  • Disinhibited attachment observed in late adoptees

  
  

  Zeanah et al.:

  • 74% of control group securely attached vs. 19% of institutional group
  • 44% of institutionalized children showed disinhibited attachment